'''Helcar''' or '''Helkar''' ([[Quenya|Q]], pron. [[Noldorin|N]] {{IPA|[ˈhelkar]}}, [[Vanyarin|V]] {{IPA|[ˈxelkar]}}) was a great tower, raised by the [[Valar]] (some traditions say by [[Melkor]]) to house the northern of the [[Two Lamps]], [[Illuin]]. It was placed in the north of [[Middle-earth]], and together with the southern lamp [[Ormal]], lit up all of [[Arda]].

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In an early conception of the [[legendarium]], '''Helcar''' or '''Helkar''' ([[Quenya|Q]], pron. [[Noldorin|N]] {{IPA|[ˈhelkar]}}, [[Vanyarin|V]] {{IPA|[ˈxelkar]}}) was one of the two towers that held one of the [[Two Lamps]] created to light [[Middle-earth]].

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Helcar was destroyed by Melkor, and collapsed. This ruined a great part of Middle-earth and formed the inland '''[[Sea of Helcar]]'''.

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==History==

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Helkar was a great tower, raised by [[Melkor|Melko]] to house the ''southern'' of the [[Two Lamps]] fashioned by [[Aulë]] to illuminate [[Middle-earth]]. The tower was extremely tall, rising to the stars, and shone like pale blue crystal. Melko claimed that Helkar and its northern twin [[Ringil (tower)|Ringil]] were made of a strong, imperishable substance that he had devised; in reality he lied for they were made of ice (a material unknown to the other [[Valar]]). When Aulë's lamps were placed upon them (silver in the north and gold in the south) the ice melted and caused great floods to pour into the seas.<ref>{{LT1|III}}, pp. 69-70</ref>

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==Other versions of the legendarium==

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==Commentary==

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In earlier versions of the [[legendarium]], Helcar was made by Melkor out of ice, a substance not yet known to the Valar. The heat of Illuin then melted the tower, and the meltwater formed the Sea of Helcar.

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[[Christopher Tolkien]] noted that the story of the Lamps in its early stage was very different from the published ''[[Silmarillion]]''. It is Melko, not Aulë, who built the two towers. The name "Helkar" disappeared as the name for the southern tower; eventually the [[Sea of Helcar]] would be the body of water formed at the roots of [[Illuin]], the ''northern'' tower and lamp. The only remaining influence from the older version of the story was that the fall of the towers created inland seas, a vestige of the notion that the towers had been made of ice that melted.<ref>{{LT1|IIIn}}, p. 87</ref>

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[[Category:Quenya Locations]]

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{{references}}

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[[Category:Buildings]]

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[[Category:Towers]]

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[[Category:Quenya locations]]

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[[de:Helcar]]

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[[fi:Helcar]]

Revision as of 08:12, 26 February 2013

In an early conception of the legendarium, Helcar or Helkar (Q, pron. N[ˈhelkar], V[ˈxelkar]) was one of the two towers that held one of the Two Lamps created to light Middle-earth.

History

Helkar was a great tower, raised by Melko to house the southern of the Two Lamps fashioned by Aulë to illuminate Middle-earth. The tower was extremely tall, rising to the stars, and shone like pale blue crystal. Melko claimed that Helkar and its northern twin Ringil were made of a strong, imperishable substance that he had devised; in reality he lied for they were made of ice (a material unknown to the other Valar). When Aulë's lamps were placed upon them (silver in the north and gold in the south) the ice melted and caused great floods to pour into the seas.[1]

Commentary

Christopher Tolkien noted that the story of the Lamps in its early stage was very different from the published Silmarillion. It is Melko, not Aulë, who built the two towers. The name "Helkar" disappeared as the name for the southern tower; eventually the Sea of Helcar would be the body of water formed at the roots of Illuin, the northern tower and lamp. The only remaining influence from the older version of the story was that the fall of the towers created inland seas, a vestige of the notion that the towers had been made of ice that melted.[2]